You Watch Us Run
by kingstonsqueen
Summary: The Doctor spends an evening dancing, running and reminiscing with his pregnant wife, the ineffable River Song.


"Catch me if you can, Doctor!" The Doctor looked up to see River already sprinting away. She tossed a playful grin over her shoulder - a clear challenge.

"When I said we'd be doing a lot of running, this is not exactly what I had in mind," he huffed, running a hand through his already disheveled hair before taking off after his wife.

River let out a hearty laugh when she heard The Doctor's approaching footsteps, his black loafers slapping against the hard-packed, damp ground. It wasn't long before The Doctor caught up to River (he purposefully ignored the fact that the only reason he'd been able to gain on her so quickly was the additional weight she was carrying).

"Gotch-ya," he murmured smugly a minute later, wrapping his arms carefully around River's diaphragm from behind. She chuckled, her head tipping back to rest on his shoulder, her honey-colored curls tickling his neck.

"Well, there's a first time for everything, Sweetie," River replied cheekily.

"Hmph," The Doctor snorted. "The likeliness of this being the first time I've ever caught you - taking into consideration how long we've been running - is extraordinarily-" River cut him off by turning in his arms, twining her fingers through his flopping brown hair, and kissing him thoroughly. After what, for them, had been decade upon decade of being married, The Doctor was still not entirely used to River's kisses. He rather doubted he ever would; he certainly hoped that would be the case. Still, he no longer flailed his arms uselessly at his sides. Instead, one hand came up to tangle in her wild blonde corkscrews of hair, while the other settled on her hip. He smiled into the kiss, gripping her waist more firmly and moving them both into a simple, playful waltz. River broke the kiss, her green eyes glittering up at him with mirth and love.

"You're getting better at this," she acknowledged with a nod, her thoughts clearly also straying to their first kiss (for him), at Stormcage.

"I have always been fantastic at 'this,'" The Doctor protested, his expression a priceless picture of overdramatic indignation. As if to prove his point, he halted their effortless dancing, and knelt before his pregnant wife. The Doctor placed his hands on the outer curves of River's belly gently rubbing her rounded abdomen when he felt the baby kick.

"Ssh, don't kick your mummy. She's a very beautiful, important lady, and we don't kick ladies. We'll, unless said lady is trying to hurt you, your friends, or family. In that case, you offer her the chance to run for her life, and if she refuse, that's when you kick her. And run. Besides, your mummy is very scary when she's cross, and she's not usually this forgiving of being kicked," The Doctor scolded gently. He spoke directly to River's abdomen, with which he was about eye-level, his tone serious enough to make River want to laugh. He spoke the last sentence in a conspiratorial whisper, glancing furtively up at River. That was nearly her undoing, but she decided it would be more fun to play along. River scowled down at The Doctor, her pursed lips twitching as she fought the urge to smile.

"I heard that, husband," she informed him sharply.

"I know, wife," The Doctor replied, grinning cockily up at her. "In my defense, I did also call you a very beautiful, important lady," he pointed out, tilting his head to one side hopefully. River pretended to consider this, frowning thoughtfully. She deliberated for longer than was necessary to toy with her husband, who tried to be inconspicuous as he squirmed uncomfortably on his knees. At last, her expression cleared and she smiled, resting her hands on his shoulders.

"Forgiven, my love. Besides, 'scary' is more of a compliment than an insult, in my book." The Doctor smiled brightly, dropped a kiss on her belly, then got to his feet.

"How, exactly, does all that," River began, waving her hand vaguely as if to gesture a the past five minutes, "have to do with your ability to romance me?" She raised one eyebrow questioningly, reminding The Doctor of why he'd knelt in front of River in the first place.

"Right!" he cried, running a hand through his hair for the second time that evening. "This," he started intently, "is proof of my success in courting my terrifying, gorgeous wife," he finished proudly, resting his hand on the top of River's pregnant belly, which was cradled between their two bodies.

"Thankfully, your rather impressive lack of coordination and your inevitable awkwardness does not have any bearing on our out-of-order 'courtship' or our apparent ability to conceive," River said, her eyes daring The Doctor to object.

"Hey! That's really rude!" he exclaimed as they picked up their waltz. River merely shrugged, and kissed his cheek placatingly. Comfortable quiet fell between them, neither minding, and they continued to waltz to the music in their minds.


End file.
